Freshman Maddy Lehman has helped out at the SAE International Clean Snowmobile Challenge
for four years running. She shares her experiences in a guest blog.

Growing up in a college town, I’ve constantly been surrounded by innovation. I saw
this in the statues at winter carnival; the engineered marvels of snow and ice were my real life princess castles as a kid. Michigan Tech’s “Fight Engineers” song, engraved in my Husky spirit at the age of six, speaks of Michigan and the northern
hills that surround Houghton. Every morning in the winter, I could hear the faint
sound of snowmobiles gliding through the snow-covered hills.

Which brings me to one of my favorite parts of the Upper Peninsula—the Clean Snowmobile
Challenge. The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a competition that epitomizes innovation
at its very best. The SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge is an international challenge
encouraging undergraduate and graduate engineers to further expand their skills to
reengineer an existing snowmobile to reduce emissions and noise; the goal of the challenge
is to produce a clean and quiet trail sled. Everyone who has had a chance to participate
in the challenge knows Jay Meldrum, the heart and soul of the event.

Jay in muck boots, cap, mustache, and the short girl with white puff ball hat is
me.

I connected with Jay Meldrum through my love of marketing. When Jay offered me a position
on his SAE Clean Snowmobile Team I could barely contain my excitement. Knowing nothing
about engines or the anatomy of a snowmobile, I took my first step into the world
of engineering. My first year on the team was a whirlwind of insight to the fine points
of what mechanical engineering is, but more importantly what the engineers were capable
of. Jay took me under his wing, he showed a wide-eyed 16-year-old around the Keweenaw
Research Center.

When March rolled around the enthusiasm of the challenge and every participant was
heightened. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, I was caught in a puzzle of engineers
each having a place, while I seemed to be the piece that didn’t quite fit, but through
the years I found my niche.

"Darlin, you’re going to get in trouble. You don't got no safety glasses on!"competition judge to Lehman

Day one of the challenge was full of safety precautions. There was pizza and problem
solving as teams worked to perfect their snowmobiles up to the very last second.
I was reminded of one of my favorite movies—Grease. Replace the cool kids wearing
tight leather pants with torn Levi’s, flannels and Sorrels; imagine tools instead
of cigarettes; Instead of racing cars, think snowmobiles. I was Olivia Newton John’s
character Sandy, completely out of my element, a little overwhelmed and way curious.

I finally built up the courage to approach a tall, slim man wearing a flannel and
fleece vest in the corner overseeing the work. “Darlin, you’re going to get in trouble.
You don't got no safety glasses on!” I realized the man had a valid point, every five
feet I walked there was a snowmobile being dissected by a team of students. Much like
Sandy did, I found my place in the shop too and soon realized this place was meant
for me after all.

The grand opening of the event, the endurance run to Copper Harbor is more than just
a joy ride up North. The redesigned snowmobiles are put to the test. Everyone who
has lived in the U.P. knows the weather is anything but predictable. A sunny, 30 degree day can turn into a blustering 40 miles-per-hour snowstorm overnight.
The event coordinators refuse to surrender and find an alternative answer to each
problem.

Throughout the week, the teams and their snowmobiles are given the challenge of a
variety of tests, which include the electric sled draw bar pull, cold start event,
emission testing, endurance run, and noise testing. Who wouldn’t mind a snowmobile
with a little less noise and a whole lot more power? These guys can make that happen.

As the week wraps up, teams of engineers-to-be, who travel from as near as Wisconsin
and as far as Finland, pack up with new problems to solve and remaining issues to
work out for next year’s competition. The student teams who for the past 16 years
have gathered in my northern town, known to average more than 200 inches of snow a
year, have gained the eye of industry.

Faurecia, AVL, MacLean-Fogg, Denso, Kohler, John Deere and Skidoo sponsorship remind
us local folks that this is more than a little competition, the work playing out here
shapes the products we just might see on the market tomorrow. Although I’m not an
engineer, I’m glad to play a very small part of a much larger team of directors, coordinators,
research advisors and mentors who together volunteer their time to make this event
happen year after year.

Softer than a Harley, more melodious than a mower, today’s stock snowmobiles emit
a whisper compared to their 1970s counterparts, but judging sled acoustics is as much
about aesthetics as it is volume.

Throughout my four-year experience at the challenge, I learned that the Clean Snowmobile
Challenge is much like a machine. It has many parts, each doing a job; some volunteering,
others advising, a few judging while many problem solve and design solutions. Each
role is critical not only to the success of the competition, but the success of the
next generation of snowmobile and engineering innovators.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than
7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than
120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering,
forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and
social sciences. Our campus in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway
and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.

About the Author

Maddy Lehman

Maddy is a freshman at Michigan Tech and considers herself lucky to be a part of the
SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge advertising team for the past four years. As a Husky,
she is on the cross-country team and is pursuing a degree in marketing. Maddy serves
on the Youth Advisory Council helping local non-profit organizations in the community
and is the proud owner of a Goldendoodle puppy named Auggie. During the summer months,
water skis on the canal and paddle boards, fishes and windsurfs on Lake Superior.